In September 2024, the now Maharashtra state minister Nitesh Rane threatened to kill Muslims inside mosques. Earlier this month, a few days after a mob in Maharashtra did attack a mosque, Rane joined the chorus of those demanding the demolition of Aurangzeb’s tomb. He said, “The government will do its part, while Hindutva outfits must do theirs. When Babri Masjid was being demolished, we did not sit and talk to each other. Our kar sevaks did what was appropriate".
In response, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, observed, "Everyone has freedom of speech, but our freedom ends when we encroach upon the freedom of others".
But wait a minute, that doesn’t sound right.
Sorry, Fadnavis did say that but about the Ranveer Allahbadia controversy. With regard to the demolition of Aurangzeb’s tomb, Fadnavis has said, “It is unfortunate that the government has to take responsibility of protecting Aurangzeb’s grave despite his history of persecution.”
There is near unanimity in the reportage by media outlets about what happened in Nagpur soon after Rane’s speech. For instance, NDTV, Hindustan Times, BBC all report that the sequence of events was as follows: The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal held ‘protests’, burnt Aurangzeb’s effigy, rumours spread that they had also burnt the Quran, and soon after, violence broke out.
Fadnavis called the violence a “pre-planned” conspiracy. It isn’t clear if he meant that the VHP, Bajrang Dal, and Rane were a part of this plan. He also said that “Chhaava movie has ignited people’s anger against Aurangzeb still, everyone must keep Maharashtra peaceful."